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Shirley conservation board taps brakes on solar project

By M.E. Jones, Correspondent

Updated:
02/09/2016 11:45:30 PM EST

SHIRLEY -- With the proliferation of solar farms cropping up on private and public land around town over the last couple of years -- a couple of which have sparked controversy and one of which is currently being appealed -- it's possible that the latest proposal, Shirley Solar III, might also face opposition, although it's early yet.

The project, a proposed solar facility slated for a site off Great Road/Route 2A, must pass muster with two local boards before it can move forward.

Owned by Rockpile Realty Trust, the developer is Rohit Garg, whose two-year old firm, Prometheus, has been hired to build the facility.

Seeking a special permit, the applicants first came before the Planning Board, which held a public hearing last week as part of its site-plan review process. With questions pending and some pushback from area residents, that hearing was continued.

The Conservation Commission, which has jurisdiction because the site includes wetlands and riverfront areas, held its own hearing Tuesday night to consider the applicant's "Determination of Applicability" request.

But after a presentation by Garg and a representative of the civil engineering firm GPR and some discussion at the table, the commissioners did not grant the permit. Instead, they concluded that the project proponents had skipped a step in the application process and voted unanimously for "a positive finding for Notice of Intent." This means the proponents must come back with more information and an updated plan, perhaps with some modifications.

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At issue in part was whether all the tree clearing called for in the plan as presented was necessary, particularly at the point where an existing cut that Garg called "a cart path" enters the property off Great Road (Route 2A) and which would be the only access road to and from the proposed solar site.

Although the location mapped out for the array meets required setbacks, a key concern was possible impact on river resource areas that the access road would intersect. "They're in two resource areas and altering both," Commissioner Bob Berkhardt said.

He was also worried about the fact that the property sits within a 100 year flood plain, he said.

Mr. Garg said that in his view the fact that the frontage was on a major road somewhat diminished the notion that taking down trees would have much impact on the area, an opinion the civil engineer seemed to share, given that it was not a densely wooded area, with a drive-in lane already there and high tension power lines towering above.

Still, they both assured the commissioners that there were no plans to clear cut the entire property and that some vegetation would remain when the project was complete.

Also, Garg said that only "mechanical" means -- that is, no chemicals -- would be used to keep the area clear once it was cut. As for trees that were flagged for removal along the existing roadway, they had to go to make way for new utility poles to serve the project, he explained.

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